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31 July 2013

If you are unfamiliar with Everlane, then you'd best head over there right now. I'm currently obsessed with their silk blouses despite being googly-eyed over Uniqlo's competitive pricing. Side note: Despite a $50 price tag, Uniqlo's silk blouses are unfriendly to the touch and may require excessive care. They look fantastic when worn, but the fabric is unforgiving.

Everlane focuses on providing quality products that are manufactured ethically both here in the US and overseas in China and other countries including Italy. The big bonus for us is that they won't sacrifice an affordable sticker price. Could this company get any better? I'm in an ethical manufacturing phase right now; I've been making numerous purchases from American Apparel and can't wait to get my hands on my first Everlane shipment! Because of this, I've been very cautious about buying widely manufactured items and it has made me really conscious about where my clothes are coming from.

I can't decide whether to go for the Nude or Light Grey (both, maybe?) but I'm certainly adding a tee or two to my shopping cart. I'm also really excited for fall so I can splurge on a cashmere cardigan (whee!)

I'm pretty sure my sister has been going through this for the majority of her teen years.

Waldbaums also sells frozen Artichoke Basille's ARTICHOKE PIZZAS oh my god. They're $8.50 a pop and about the size of 1.5 of their humongous slices of pizza, so it would be a better value to just go there and get some. But when you factor in MTA fare...

20 July 2013

Remember when in high school as summer was fast approaching, everyone would preach "SUMMER2k-whatever, CAN'T WAIT!!! BEST SUMMER EVER" only to spend your days lazing around watching entire seasons of mediocre tv shows because you already saw all the good ones? Well I need to make a couple additions/adjustments to my ULTIMATE SUMMER BUCKET LIST, guaranteed to make for the GREATEST SUMMER OF YOUR LIVES (!!!!) Final sale, no returns.

Well I guess this is just a list of things that I've done so far...

PS1. I didn't realize that the Rain Room was not here until I got there, and I got a courtesy ticket to the RR which unfortunately expired before I realized it did. But there is a waterfall-like thing.

Rose House. I really enjoy going to RH because it's not something one would do on a regular basis. RH visits are revered in my book and any day that includes a visit turns out to be truly wonderful. The fruit tea was unsatisfactory this time around though.

Beach. 'Twas a pleasant day by the shore, highlighted by really cute lifeguards.

Okay I seriously had a hard time thinking about what I've done so far. #LOSER (whatever)

Completed the entirety of Mad Men and am now up to date

Nearly completed the Eleventh Doctor's first season on Doctor Who

Book haul!!!! Purchased several books for the first time in forever because I am (no longer) a cheapskate and I'm really excited. (can you tell?)

I got socks today, that was thrilling #LAME

Oh, and we went to the golf course to practice a bit which was nice, and I got to see my fave coach!

Gordon Ramsay. My cousin also attempted to steal a bench from the Kitchen Nightmare restaurant because I convinced her that the interior was completely redone and that all the furniture sitting on the curb was just going to the dump. Apparently not, but I think that lady just didn't want to part with her stuff.

I finished knitting this blanket for my popo, but I stupidly put it in the washing machine to wet it so that I could block it and make it more rectangular. It got ruined. I have to redo it. That shit took me four months. I'm going to die.

My reading queue is so backed up. Maybe I should just sit on the 7 train for an entire day to catch up.

I know I haven't been writing much lately, but I've been receiving a series of Asks on Tumblr that I believe are apt recounts of some of my thoughts.

To my anon: Thanks for asking really great questions, keep them coming!

To my wonderful readers: Feel free to ask me anything, and by that, I mean everything!

I also want to point out that I really think about my answers, so if it takes me forever to reply, please know that I'm really taking these questions into serious thought. Or I may be binge-watching Doctor Who with my sister.

13 July 2013

I am so eager for fall to come already! Summer's already halfway through and with this bout of cool air making its way through the city, I thought I'd try on some autumnal ensembles to look forward to the change in season.

Isn't it humorous to think that we always look forward to what we intend to wear in upcoming seasons, yet we never look back on what we have worn in the past? For instance, while looking forward to this fall, I dream of coats and hats that I do not yet own rather than reminisce on my nicely worn-in ones. I suppose it has to do with the possibility and potential of what could be, as well as the person we imagine ourselves to be in the future.

On that note, I'd like to declare that autumn is officially my favorite season! Second is summer, then winter, and finally, spring. Despite the autumnal allergies that I've come to acquire, I much prefer the temperature change from warm to cool rather than cool to warm. The summer to fall transition is much more natural, don't you think? It mirrors a freshly cooked piping hot meal cooling down to reasonable temperatures and if you're lucky, it tastes even better cold.

I gravely miss my scarves and hats, mes amies! I know that once winter makes its way here, I'll become chockfull of complaints about how frigid it is. You know me, melodramatic and unsatisfiable in every way.

12 July 2013

To start, No. 5: The dregs from a gallon-sized carton of Tropicana OJ, thoroughly shaken and frothy (pulp a plus). Have you ever tried it?! It's 5x better than a glass of juice from a half-full carton and 10x better than a glass from a newly opened carton! The next time you're left with just enough juice to fill a glass, take life by the hand and shake that carton like a Shake-Weight on a sugar high, then fill glass and enjoy.

Next at the No. 4 spot, Pineapple-Mango Smoothie (YUM)! Unfortunately for my household, I don't regularly keep fresh pineapples and mangoes in stock, nor do I have the skills to carve the prickly fruit that houses a peculiar sponge at the bottom of the sea. In that case, I only get Pineapple-Mango smoothies if I'm having a really good day and they're available to purchase for my consumption. They're tropically delightful!

Now for No. 3: Fresh-squeezed orange juice. What person's list of favorite juices can go without this essential favorite? A nice and frothy glass of pulp and juice from Florida's favorite fruit can never go wrong. Sure, it may take a million oranges to produce a single glass, but oh, your efforts will be well rewarded in the end.

a glass of nicely matriculated grape juice (yum)

And down to No. 2, we have Aged Welch's Concord Grape Juice! Okay this one is a little weird. My dad once tried to age grape juice into wine (I know, right) until the juice carton exploded and probably left a fruity mess. Anyway, about a month ago I requested that our fridge be stocked with grape juice and alas, my wish was granted. However, it wasn't granted with a brand-new store bought carton. Rather, it was an old carton from the deepest depths of the food collection that my family hoards in our basement. The carton was unopened, yet bore an expiration date from the previous year (I know, right). Nonetheless, the juice tasted like none other! Once I downed it all, the fridge was restocked with a new carton from the store and it tasted nothing like my preferred aged grape juice. Old grape juice > New grape juice. Time to stock up and save your grape juice, kids.

Last, but definitely not least, topping the chart at No. 1 is Naked Juice's Green Machine! I discovered Naked Juice several years ago when my then 5-year old cousin toted always toted around a $3 bottle of her Naked Juice of choice. It wasn't until last year when I finally tried the ominous-looking Green Machine juice and I've been hooked ever since. It's an acquired taste that you realize you can't go without after your first bottle.

09 July 2013

Do you think the United States will be at war five years from now? It seems as if we're perpetually involved in some sort of military conflict whether it be the War on Terror or the War on Drugs. And when was the last time the US wasn't involved in any military operation? Sure, there were a couple of years between World War II and the Cold War, but that's hardly a Pax Romana.

Even now, people in Egypt loathe the American government for interfering, as they say, with their socio-political affairs. What would happen if the US stopped providing monetary aid? Should the US back out and leave the country to settle their own disputes as we had with the Civil War?

I suppose it isn't polite to conduct conversation regarding politics, so I think I'll leave it at that.

08 July 2013

A couple days ago my sister and I were talking about how some words sound really weird to our own ears. I can't stand hearing the word "purse," and cringe even more at "moist." She then proceeded to ask me what my favorite words were. Being incredibly dorky, I knew that I had a great list of words that I really like, but none came to mind at the time.

Ever since, I've accumulated a stack of words but I know that if I share it with her out of the blue, she probably won't care. Because that's how siblings work. Here we go...

verve

lexicon

incredulous

pithy

singular

ascetic

... well, it seems that my short-term memory has failed me yet again.

But you know what? I have a favorite French phrase:

Qu'est-ce que c'est?

It means "What is it?" and thanks to the lovely French language that accounts for silent syllables in every random position, is pronounced Kess-kuh-say

Tulips and butterflies! Have a wonderful Monday, mes chers :)

On another note: I also intend to drop the grossly unattractive .blogspot from the URL in the coming week (EXCITING)

05 July 2013

Hope everyone had a jolly Fourth of July!
Like American families all across the country, I joined mine in recognition of the holiday and celebrated with food and company.

However, this isn't about the holiday. At one point during the afternoon, my cousin pointed out the hair on my legs to my two older cousins. After several disgusted remarks on my hirsute limbs, I questioned "Well, who says I have to shave anyway?" The response that I received? "Society says so!"

Rather than battle out my position against this incredibly bigoted remark, I kept my thoughts to myself. But this is what I wish I had said:

"Society says I have to shave my legs? What do the opinions of a general population have to do with anything? You know what society has said? That black people can't sit in the front of a bus. That women were only useful for child-rearing. That gay men can't marry, that girls had to play with Barbies and boys had to play with action figures and cars. Because of society, women didn't have a vote. Japanese people were forced into internment camps. The Fourth of July marks America's independence from Great Britain, a remarkable event in all of human history that defied what society once said. Isn't the present day the perfect time to realize that society has no say?"

Ladies and gentlemen, do or do not do whatever you choose. From the little things like shaving to the big things like marriage, don't let the general opinion of an incredibly diverse population guide yourself.
It comes down to one thought: Be yourself, because everyone else is taken.

03 July 2013

When people ask me what I want to do, I'm unsure of an answer. In the back of my head, I truly want to pursue every field I can lay my hands on. I know what I want to study in school, but what happens after that?
This is a bona-fide list of everything I've ever wanted to be, in no particular order. We begin with careers that I've desired to pursue in my childhood and throw in those which I currently consider, as well as some that I find utterly fascinating.

Veterinarian. Because I loved dogs

Actress. Because I wanted to be like Emma Watson.

Doctor. Because my dad told me to.

Lawyer. Because my dad told me to. Later, because I found value in justice and analyzing the shades of gray.

Surgeon. Because Grey's Anatomy.

Engineer. Because despite the mathematics, I enjoy the idea of being responsible for something great.

Computer Scientist. Because I was fascinated by a trip to Google and thought that anyone could go to MIT.

Fashion Designer. Because all I could think about were clothes.

Stylist. Because I regularly find myself going through my favorite e-tailers on a regular basis.

News Anchor. Because I wanted to be on TV all the time.

Photographer. Because I thought I could be good at taking pictures.

Ambassador. Because I wanted to be anywhere but here.

Architect. Because I assumed that's what happened after architecture school.

Construction Worker. Because I loved the idea of creating a structure with my own two hands.

Interior Architect. Because I couldn't really imagine myself working on the mechanics of building a structure from scratch.

Interior Designer. Because I found myself wanting to spend time in Ikea far too often. Note: Not to be confused with an Interior Decorator.

Accountant. Because I have this weird fascination for Excel spreadsheets. Also: I enjoy budgeting although I'm not very good at following my own budgets.

Pharmacist. Because it seemed easier than being a doctor.

Interpreter. Because being one meant I would be fluent in several languages.

Flight Attendant. Because I want to see the world. Also: Pan Am.

Epidemiologist. Because I thought it was really cool to study disease and create cures.

Political Analyst. Because I really enjoyed my government class.

Economist. Because I took a great Microeconomics course. And aced it.

Starbucks Barista. Because Starbucks is a fantastic place to work and you know no bounds.

Baker. Because the final product was the jewel of my day.

Editor. Because no matter how hard I try, I can't write anything good.

Author. Because writing books is an excellent investment of your time which will provide a healthy return.

Investment Banker. Because at one point I was very interested in finance, and I-Bankers seemed like the cream of the crop.

Stockbroker. Because at one point I was obsessed with the stock market.

Teacher. Because I fell in love with the idea of nurturing students to influence a greater tomorrow.

Therapist. Because I can be a good listener sometimes.

Construction Manager. Because I could put my degree in architecture to some use.

POTUS. Because I'm obviously naïve about how stressful the job is. It's not all about making good decisions, ya know.

As you can see, I can be considered "unfocused" as my dad says although I don't think he quite means it this way. Is it wrong to want to have a fulfilled life? Why make yourself comfortable in one career when you can be adventurous and have many different professions? Wouldn't you think that would build character?

01 July 2013

Happy July!
As it is the first of the month, I have an obligation to remind you to skip the month at JustFab if you so choose to.

This post is for those of you who are stuck at home this summer with nothing to do. Your friends are busy at their jobs, SAT classes, summer camps, or are abroad in a fantasy land that you can't touch. Anywho, here's a list of things you can do at home:

1. SLEEP. Sleep is for those who can afford to, and guess what? You can! Sleeping all day is also a surefire way to prevent yourself from spending money that you really don't have.

2. Take a walk. I know, I know, it takes a village to get you out the front door, but all you really need to do is make your feet take you there. Take a walk down the block, around the corner, to your friend's, to Micky D's, to the park, anywhere you'd like! The best part is that you can decide when to return home and by then, you'll remember why you like it there to begin with. Happy stepping!

3. Duolingo. Take the summer to brush up on your Spanish or French! Duolingo is a fun way to solidify your linguistic skills and you won't be stuck answering with a blank face whenever your aunt asks you what you've been up to.

4. Experiment in the Kitchen. Take a walk to the nearest grocery store and pile your basket with foods that you enjoy and can experiment with! For example: French fries & Milkshakes, anyone? Try making some delectable summer drinks and while you're at it, make some French maracons and send some over to my place.

5. Netflix. The treasure trove of entertainment, I say. Now is the perfect time, if any, to start that 1-month free trial you've always meant to sign up for. Watch Mad Men, Grey's Anatomy, Breaking Bad, Weeds, Doctor Who, Sherlock, and all your other favorite cable TV shows!